students sitting at computers in classroom

Install Microsoft Office

First, check if you have Microsoft Office on your computer.

  • Some computers will come with Microsoft Office already installed, including MHCC loaner laptops, but you’ll still need to activate a student (or staff) license to continue using Microsoft Office for free. If you know Microsoft Office is installed, skip down to Yes, I Have MS Word/Office on My Computer section. If you need to check on this, go to step one below.
  • On a Windows computer, click the search box (magnifying glass icon) on the lower bottom left of your computer (you can also press the Windows logo key + S on your keyboard to open search).
    • On a Mac computer, click the spotlight icon (if shown) in the menu bar in the upper right, or press command + space bar.
  • Type Word for Microsoft Word.
    • If Word does appear, continue onto Yes, I Have Microsoft Office on My Computer.
    • If Word doesn’t appear, or the result shows only WordPad or Pages, proceed to No, I Don’t Have Microsoft Office on My Computer.

If you already have Microsoft Office installed on your computer, you will need to login with your college email if you want to continue to use this for free. Otherwise, Microsoft will disable access to Office and request payment after a trial period.
  • Open Word by typing Word in the search box (or spotlight on the Mac) and then clicking to open it.
  • Look in the upper right-hand corner for your name or email. Click to find further information.
    • If you’re already signed in with your MHCC email all is good, you’re done.
    • If you see either no name or a personal email here, you need to change this by signing out and signing in with your college email. The only exception to this is if you’ve already paid for a personal license for Microsoft Office and want to continue using this.
  • Even once you sign in with your college email, there is still a slight delay in the license being recognized by Microsoft and activated. Likely, you’ll still see a license/activation error, which should soon go away.
  • You’ll want to accept the conditions of the license and have this apply to all programs and apps, so all Microsoft apps allow free use through your college email.

  • Open a web browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
  • Login to your Saints email account.
    • If you are a student:
      • Go to mhcc.edu, click Current Students, and Saints Email (login with your username and password (first initial, dot, last name, leave out @saints.mhcc.edu). You should see the MHCC logo.
      • If you are new to MHCC and don’t know your Saints email, log in to MyMHCC, click the Student Services tab at the top and then Message Center on left.Note: For new students a Saints Email will only be created 48 hours after you register for classes.
      • If you are a Student, please contact [email protected] or call 503-491-7208 for help with your Saints email. You won’t be able to install and activate Microsoft Office without this.
    • If you are a staff member:
      • Go to mhcc.edu, click on intranet (near the bottom of the screen), and Office 365 Email. Login with the shortened (last name and first initial) [email protected] and password. You will be redirected to another site or pop up screen, and may have to do this multiple times. You should see the MHCC logo.
      • Please call 503-491-7448 or contact [email protected] if you are a staff member and need help with your college email and installing Microsoft Office.
      • Click the tiles icon in your email (upper left of the screen). In the tiles area you can access online lite versions of Microsoft apps, but here (just to the right of the tiles icon) you can also find a link to Office. Choose this to take you to another screen.
      • Now, look to the upper right of the screen for Install Office, and choose Office 365 apps to begin the office installation on your computer. You’ll need to open and run the setup file which is sent to your downloads folder on your computer (you may see this on the bottom left). This will install the full Microsoft Office 365 onto a PC or Mac computer. If you want to see other install options, choose the secnd option. Here, you can see how many of your five device installs you’ve used, information about your Microsoft Office subscription, options for other languages, etc.
      • If prompted to enter an email upon opening an Office app for the first time, a student should type their Saints email and password for free access to Microsoft Office. Staff would enter Outlook username and password. Go back up to Yes, I Have MS Word/Office on my Computer if you need more information about logging in and activating the Office license.
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Notes for Mac users:

  • The Office Mac version only includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook (not Access and Publisher).
  • For Mac users, as with Windows PC users, you will log into your Saints email (or staff email) and follow the No, I Don’t Have Microsoft Office on my Computer to log into your school account and find the install Office link.
  • Once you click install, the large Office suite may take a while to download, ending up in the downloads folder. From the finder you can press command + option + L to open this folder. Then, double-click the most recent file in the downloads folder, and begin the installation process. You’ll step through a number of screens to accept Microsoft’s license agreement.
  • SIMnet users: SIMnet is an online Microsoft Office simulation used in business, business technology, and CIS classes. SIMnet supports both Mac and Windows users for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint courses (e.g. BA131, CIS120L, BT125). For Access courses (CIS125DB, BT210ZAA, or BT210ZAB) Mac users will need to use a Windows computer because Microsoft Access is a database program not made for Macs. Mac users taking an Access course could purchase Parallels and Windows software to emulate a PC, but this option can be costly.

Microsoft Office is not able to be installed on Chromebook. Chrome iOS is online and built around Google apps, such as Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Gmail, etc. But you can still feel free to log into the Chrome Store and install more basic versions of the Microsoft Office apps, or just log into your Saints email, click on tiles in the upper left, and access the “lite” versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

If you know you are connected to the internet, you already had Office on your computer, and you still can’t get the license to activate on a Windows computer you may need to remove this version and reinstall.

  • In the search box, type Uninstall and choose Add or Remove Programs.
  • Click the program and an Uninstall button will appear.
  • Once you’ve uninstalled, restart your computer and go to the No, I Don’t Have Microsoft Office on my Computer to run the install process and log in with your MHCC credentials.
  • If this still doesn’t work, wait as there is normally a delay on the license to register remotely on the Microsoft server (make sure you are connected to the internet). If this still doesn’t work, students should email [email protected], staff can email [email protected].
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Service Desk Locations

  • For in-person help, visit the student services hub in Room AC2253, the computer lab in Room AC1451, go to the library front desk at the Gresham Campus, or the community skills center at the Maywood Park Campus.
  • Use the chat feature online when you sign in to MyMHCC.
  • Email [email protected] or call 503-491-7208.

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